Welcome to the Worldwide Greathead family my One-Name Study

The information in this website covers all occurrences of the surname GREATHEAD worldwide, as opposed to a particular pedigree. It also contains the variants GREATHED, GREATED, GRATEHEAD, GREATHEED and GREETHEAD. One day maybe I will discover that we are all related

JohnGreathead was born on 17 January 1828 in Girsby, Yorkshire, England, which is close to the River Tees, about three miles from Hurworth.1,2,3 He was the son of FrancisGreathead and MargaretThompson. He was baptised on 3 February 1828 in Girsby, Yorkshire, England.1,2,4 His father had a bad accident around 1837, five of his ribs were broken and it was not expected that he would recover. John was sent to work on his Uncle Henry's farm at Atley Hill. He stayed their nine months.5 John arrived in British Guiana 4 Dec 1854 he stayed with the Perkins family for three years, their son died and John was sent to study theology at Richmond College. He volunteered to go to British Guiana. He was a Wesleyan Minister until after his second marriage when he converted to Church of England and became an Anglican Priest.2 He married SarahMiles in St Vincent, West Indies.1,2 John wrote in a letter to the London Missionary Society in London from Georgetown on 24 August 1868, "Weather excessively hot – season of general sickness – many children have died – my younger/est (hard to read) little girl among them. The dear child suffered a great deal and died on Thursday 13 August. God has graciously sustained us in our new trial and mercifully spared to us the other three children all of whom have been very ill but now well again."6 Rev John Greathead was present at Weslyan Conference held in England. Many missionaries from all over the world attended. He and his family are recorded as setting off in November for Demerara.7 His wife SarahMiles died on 15 July 1881 as reported in the Argosy newspaper Saturday 16 July 1881 It read "At the Werk-en-Rust Wesleyan Mission House, yesterday 15th at 9am Sarah, the beloved wife of the Rev John Greathead; aged 47 years.2,6 There was an article in the Argosy of Saturday 16 July 1881 reporting the death of Mary Thompson at Werk-en-Rust Weslyan Mission House on Monday 11th inst. at 11am, sister of the Rev John Greathead aged 65 years. I am unsure exactly who she was But I suspect she was his sister in law.6 He was a missionary Minister, the Superintendent of the Mahaica Circuit, Wesleyan Mission in British Guiana. He married MaryPlayter on 10 June 1882 in St Philip's, Georgetown, British Guiana, by Rev H T S Castell the Incumbant and was assisted by Rev G Salmon B A. John was listed as Superintendent of the Mahaica Circuit, Wesleyan Mission, British Guiana.2,6,8 Rev John and Mary applied for passports on 9 July 1884.9 John died on 18 January 1898 in Georgetown, British Guiana, aged 70.10,2 John was buried in St Philip's Churchyard, La Penitence Church Cemetery, Georgetown, British Guiana.2,6 Rev John Greathead was mentioned preaching in James Rodways book (James Rodway's Story of Georgetown)

From Rodway's Story of Georgetown:

"The Rev. John Greathead will always be remembered in connection with Georgetown Methodism. He came to the colony in 1855, and was in charge of Kingston Chapel for some years, after which, with the exception of a few years spent in St. Vincent, he was chairman of the District and lived at Trinity Mission House. He was strong in mind and body - nothing daunted him when performing his duties. By his efforts Kingston Chapel was enlarged and made what it is today. A writer in the Methodist Recorder said:

'It would have been well if he had been exempted from official work. He was an Evangelist, not an administrator, and it must be confessed that he was not altogether happy in his Chairmanship. There were some complications, and to get rid of them, he left the Wesleyan for the Episcopalian Church. With a character, on which there was not the slightest blemish, and a heart nobly unselfish, he bade farewell - a loving farewell - to his old companions. He left the Methodist Church in 1883, and died on the 18th January, 1898.6'" In the British Guiana Directory of 1904 there is an entry which states that on 13 March 1904 the new tubular bell put up in St Barnabas' Church was dedicated to the memory of the late Rev John Greathead.

St Barnabas, Bourda, was a Mission Chapel. The mission was first started in a circus tent. The present building was erected in 1884 and the first curate was the Rev. John Greathead, a man well known in the colony for many years as Superintendent of the Methodists. He was undoubtedly the best man to start a Mission, as he had long experience before he joined the Church of England.6

SarahMiles was born about 1834 in England.3 Sarah went out from England to marry John who was in St Vincent.2,3 She married JohnGreathead, son of FrancisGreathead and MargaretThompson, in St Vincent, West Indies.1,2 John wrote in a letter to the London Missionary Society in London from Georgetown on 24 August 1868, "Weather excessively hot – season of general sickness – many children have died – my younger/est (hard to read) little girl among them. The dear child suffered a great deal and died on Thursday 13 August. God has graciously sustained us in our new trial and mercifully spared to us the other three children all of whom have been very ill but now well again."3 Sarah died on 15 July 1881 in Georgetown, British Guiana, as reported in the Argosy newspaper Saturday 16 July 1881 It read "At the Werk-en-Rust Wesleyan Mission House, yesterday 15th at 9am Sarah, the beloved wife of the Rev John Greathead; aged 47 years.2,3

Griffith HampdenJones was born on 27 February 1856.1 He was the son of WilliamJones and ElizabethEdwards. Griffith was a missionary and was referred to as a Reverend.2 The family returned to British Guiana when Susannah was just over a year old. Griffith Hampden Jones married Susannah MaryGreathead, daughter of JohnGreathead and SarahMiles, on 8 June 1881 in Georgetown, British Guiana, by her father the Weslyan Minister when about she was about 19 years old.1,3,2 Griffith died on 14 September 1883 aged 27 of yellow fever.1,4

Alice Louisa ThaliaGainfort was baptised on 13 August 1875 Alice was their eldest daughter.1 She was the daughter of BenjaminGainfort and MaryYearwood. She married Thomas HenryGreathead, son of JohnGreathead and SarahMiles, in St Philip's, Georgetown, British Guiana, The ceremony was performed on Thursday 14 May 1896 by Reverend Canon F P L Josa of Christ Church, assisted by Rev Charles Foskett and was reported in the newspaper Argosy of Saturday 16 May 1896.1,2,3,4 Thomas and Alice sailed from Bridgetown, Barbados on the Lady Hawkins arriving in Boston, Massachusetts on 25 May 1936.5 Her husband Thomas died on November 1949 in Barbados, West Indies, aged 79.1 Alice went to visit her son in British Guiana in May 1950 after her husband died, hoping to be with him for the birth of youngest granddaughter (June) however she returned before the birth and died on board ship called Lady Rodney not many days out of Bermuda.1,6,7 Alice was buried in Episcopolian Cemetery, Bermuda.1

MurielGreathead was born on 14 April 1897 in Georgetown, British Guiana.1,2,3 She was the daughter of Thomas HenryGreathead and Alice Louisa ThaliaGainfort. She was found on a passenger list in 1923 she left Georgetown, Demerara, British Guiana and arrived on Ellis Island on 4 June 1923. She travelled on the ship "Matura" leaving Georgetown, Demerara, British Guiana on 21 May 1923. The ship's manifest stated she was single and visiting Mrs H O Yearwood (her sister Stella) 173 Lynwood Street, Brooklyn, USA. She was five foot one inch tall, with fresh complexion, brown hair and grey eyes. Her occupation was a civil servant. The trip to USA was a permanent emigration. Her mother was listed as her next of kin living at 73 High Street.4 Muriel was a lady full of life and very attractive. She lived in New York.5 Muriel sailed on Lady Hawkins from Barbados arriving on 28 March 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts.6 Eric worked for the AMF Bowling supply manufacturer. He and Muriel lived in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn New York. They had no children.7 Muriel was listed as the head of the family of on the census of 1 April 1940 in Berkley Street, Kings, New York, New Jersey, USA, she was a clerical worker for a sugar broker.8 She married EricRydburg in 1947.9 Muriel died on 4 October 1996 in New Jersey, USA, aged 99.1,2,3

Sources of Information

[S3164] Emails between Henry Greathead and Jan Cooper from 13 December 1997.

[S4500] Emails between Tony Goggins and Jan Cooper from 11 March 2003.

[S9590] Emails between Kathy Nicholson and Jan Cooper from 15 December 1997.

StellaGreathead was born on 8 July 1898 in Georgetown, British Guiana.1,2,3 She was the daughter of Thomas HenryGreathead and Alice Louisa ThaliaGainfort. She emigrated in 1920 she left Georgetown, Demerara, British Guiana and arrived on Ellis Island on 18 August 1820. She travelled on the ship "Maraval" leaving Georgetown, Demerara, British Guiana. The ship's manifest stated she was single and visiting her uncle H F Gainfort # 9597 in Brooklyn together with other relatives. She was five foot four inches tall, with fair complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. Her occupation was a civil servant. Her father was listed as her next of kin living at 111 Commercial Street. The visit must have gone well as she stayed and married having her first daughter in December 1921.4

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